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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29078472">Our Song By the Sea (i7 Ships)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/churros_liz/pseuds/churros_liz'>churros_liz</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Alternate Universe - Royalty, But Mitsuki and Iori were, F/M, Little Mermaid Elements, M/M, Mermaid Tsumugi, Merman Mitsuki, Merman Momo, Merman Riku, Merman Sougo, Merman Ten, Neither were Tamaki and Aya, Prince Gaku, Prince Nagi, Prince Ryuu, Prince Tamaki, Prince Yamato, Prince Yuki, Riku and Ten weren't separated, Yamato has two moms and a dad, prince iori, reuploaded</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 10:28:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>14,899</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29078472</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/churros_liz/pseuds/churros_liz</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Seven princes. Six merfolk. Their fates intertwine when a massive rainstorm hits. Each prince being saved from the creatures they once thought of as nothing more than a children's tale. To think they would fall for these magical creatures.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Inumaru Touma/Midou Torao, Isumi Haruka/Natsume Minami, Izumi Iori/Nanase Riku, Izumi Mitsuki/Nikaidou Yamato/Rokuya Nagi, Kujou Ten/Tsunashi Ryuunosuke, Momo/Yuki (IDOLiSH7), Ousaka Sougo/Yotsuba Tamaki, Takanashi Tsumugi/Yaotome Gaku</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>46</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h3>Prologue</h3><p>The world is filled with mysteries. There is no telling whether these mysteries are true or not, but some people like to believe in the impossible. One of these tales involves what lies under the vast sea. Sailors often speak about creatures that resemble us humans, but what makes them different is that the lower half of their bodies are that of a fish. These people are known as the merfolk. </p><p>It is said that the females, known as mermaids, have been given the gift of music by the gods. Their beauty is beyond one’s imagination, and their voices are so enchanting that sailors often fall for them when they’re out to sea. The males, on the other hand, have the strength of an entire army fleet and are able to use magic. They are not as gifted singers as their counterparts, but some say that a few mermen are specifically chosen by the gods to have this musical talent. These mermen are considered to be so rare to the point that no one has ever seen one of them.</p><p>“But this is just a story my parents told me when I was younger. There’s no telling if the merfolk are real” A woman stroked the heads of her children. Her light blue hair blew with the wind. Her eyes glistened at the sun setting on the horizon. A small tide pulled in, making her children giggle in delight.</p><p>“Do you believe in them?” Her son looked up at her.</p><p>She smiled at him and leaned in. “Between you and me, I think that they don’t want to be seen by us. I think that they just want to stay a secret”</p><p>“Why?” He asked.</p><p>“Because they don’t know if we’re nice or not. I think that they’re waiting for the perfect moment to reveal themselves to us” She smiled at him. “So, yes, I believe that they’re out there somewhere”</p><p>“Ya hear that, Aya?” He turned to his little sister, grinning. “Mermaids exist!”</p><p>The little girl laughed at her brother’s enthusiasm. The two got up from their mother’s lap and began to jump around, shouting about mermaids. Their mother watched them with a soft smile. She took in a deep breath and exhaled. If only they could remain this happy forever.</p><p>“Your majesty”</p><p>She turned to see a man, dressed in all black, walk up to her. He had a solemn expression and held a letter in his hand. She noticed that the letter was marked with her husband’s insignia. Her smile disappeared. She got up and walked over to him.</p><p>Her son stopped playing when he noticed the man. He watched as his mother read the letter that the man held. She looked sad. He frowned. He hates seeing his mother sad. The man always makes her mom look sad.</p><p>“Mewmay! Mewmay!” His sister tugged at his sleeves. He chuckled.</p><p>“You want to see one?”</p><p>She nodded.</p><p>“Alright, I promise I’ll find one for ya” He lifted her up and began to spin her around. Their laughter grabbed the attention of their mother and the man. The two adults smiled at the children, their sad expressions washing away slightly.</p><p>Meanwhile, down in the sea, swam a young merboy. The purple mezzo-forte tattoo on his chest had a slight glow to it as he lightly hummed a song his uncle had just taught him. The merboy smiled at the servants that swam by him, only to stop when he spotted his father swimming toward him. He straightened up his posture at the merman’s presence.</p><p>“Father” The merboy bowed his head. His father looked at him with a slight glare in his eyes. Judging by the way his son’s light purple hair was undone, he could only guess that the young fish was out playing with his uncle again.</p><p>“Get ready to leave for the palace. We’re visiting his majesty, and you should look presentable in front of the royal family” His father sighed.</p><p>“Yes, father” He swam away, feeling grateful that his father didn’t lecture him like he always does. He stopped to stare up and look at how the sunlight reflected onto the ocean’s waters. I wonder if humans have to deal with strict fathers too.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h3>Chapter 1</h3>
<p>Tamaki stood out on his bedroom’s balcony, staring at the busy docks. Guests ranging from aristocrats to neighboring royal families were all gathering toward Tamaki’s royal ship. He didn’t want to celebrate his eighteenth birthday this way. He wanted to have a small get-together with his friends and that’s it. There was no need to invite almost everyone in the world. But his sister and royal advisor thought differently.</p>
<p>‘<em>It’s your eighteenth birthday. It’s a special occasion.</em>’ His sister told him. ‘<em>Just one more year and then you’ll be King,</em>’ His advisor smiled. Gosh, he hated his advisor. He always found him annoying. The only reason why he agreed to this was because they had promised to leave his next birthday be.</p>
<p>“There you are” He turned around to see his sister. She was dressed in a new, extravagant, collared white dress that had a light blue underskirt. A four-leaf clover designed hairpin held parts of her bangs behind her ear. She wore a bit of lip gloss and was putting on white gloves. She sighed when she noticed the mess that was Tamaki’s tie. She walked over to him and began to fix it. “You’re going to become King soon, so you’re going to have to start looking presentable”</p>
<p>“It wasn’t even my idea to have this big party” He rolled his eyes. He felt his sister tighten her hold on the tie, choking him a bit. </p>
<p>“It’s important for you to familiarize yourself with the other nobles” She lectured.</p>
<p>“But I already know some of them” He backed away before she could choke him even more.</p>
<p>“Your friends don’t count” She shook her head. “Kujou was the one that got our kingdom its allies. You have to make new ones in order to show that you’re worthy of the crown”</p>
<p>The way Tamaki rolled his eyes at the mention of their royal advisor did not go unnoticed by the fifteen-year-old girl. She lightly slapped his shoulder. He winced at her strength. “You should be thankful toward him. If he wasn’t around, we would be looked down upon and no longer be in line for the throne and just be considered as the orphaned royals”</p>
<p>“We <em>are</em> orphaned royals though” He muttered under his breath, knowing full-well that his sister heard him. </p>
<p>Silence washed over them. It’s not like he was lying. They’ve been orphaned for a couple of years now. First, their father got lost at sea and no matter how much they searched, he was never found. Then their mother fell ill and died when he was thirteen. Upon her death, many had tried to steal the crown away from them until Kujou stepped up and protected them and their place as royals. So, yeah, Tamaki should be grateful for Kujou but he just can’t find himself to be. The man’s presence had never sat well with him.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry” Tamaki sighed. He doesn’t want to make his sister upset.</p>
<p>She just smiled at him in response. She then reached into her pocket and took out a small box. She handed it toward him. “It’s a bit early for gifts, but here”</p>
<p>He took the box and opened it with a smile. His eyes widened a bit at the sight of a charm bracelet. The charms contained a seashell, two clovers, his favorite caricature that resembled pudding, and a mermaid. He looked up at his sister, surprising her in a hug. </p>
<p>“Thank you” He kissed her head.</p>
<p>“Just don’t lose it at the party” She giggled.</p>
<p>“Trust me. I’ll guard this with my life” He patted her head. “It’s now my second-most treasured gift”</p>
<p>“What’s your first?”</p>
<p>“You, of course,” He tackled her again, lifting her up. She squealed and soon began to laugh.</p>
<p>The happy atmosphere was soon cut off by the sound of a cough. Tamaki placed his sister down to look at the person that was interrupting their sibling moment. Turns out it was just Kujou. Aya straightened her posture and smoothed out any wrinkles on her dress the moment she saw him.</p>
<p>“It’s time, your majesties” Kujou bowed.</p>
<p>“Thank you, Kujou” Aya nodded her head. She turned to her brother, already knowing that he’s frowning at the man. She tugged at his arm, silently telling him to behave. He rolled his eyes and they soon made their way out of their palace.</p>
<p>----</p>
<p>“Is it just me or does it look like a storm is near?” Ryuu looked up at the sky.</p>
<p>“I think it’s just you” Iori turned to him. “There’s no way Kujou would have the party out on sea if a storm was near”</p>
<p>“Hmm. I guess you’re right” Ryuu turned to his friends. They were all on the ship’s main deck, waiting for the birthday boy and his sister to make their appearance and the party to begin.</p>
<p>“I still can’t believe that Tamaki agreed to this” Gaku looked at the crowd. “I thought he wanted to only have us over for dinner or something”</p>
<p>“He did, but Aya had pleaded with him to throw the party” Yamato took a glass of champagne from a waiter. “She wants him to get to know more nobles - that aren’t us - before he’s crowned king next year”</p>
<p>“Why do I have the feeling that he’ll sneak off below deck to escape his royal duties?” Iori frowned.</p>
<p>“Because he most likely will,” Ryuu chuckled.</p>
<p>“That’s why I brought a couple of card games with me. That way we have something to do while we hide with him,” Nagi smiled. “I got some servants to hide them in the meantime”</p>
<p>“I don’t think Aya would be happy to know that the birthday boy had left his own party” Yamato smirked.</p>
<p>“I could already picture her dragging him out,” Yuki chuckled.</p>
<p>“Well this is going to be an interesting party” Gaku took a sip of his champagne. They all nod in agreement.</p>
<p>The group of princes have been friends with Tamaki for a long time now. He had met Iori and Nagi while studying abroad in Nagi’s kingdom in Northemeir. They then met Gaku and Ryuu at one of Gaku’s father’s royal balls. Then he met Yamato and Yuki when he went to watch a theater show with his mother. Some of them didn’t get along at first, but they somehow managed to make their friendship work. They often goof off and ridicule the royal lifestyle. Even though they live in different kingdoms that are very much far away from each other, they often write and visit one another when they can. They’re the only group of people that Tamaki trusts with his whole life. They’re his family.</p>
<p>The sound of trumpets grabbed everyone’s attention. Kujou stepped onto the ship and announced Tamaki and Aya. The crowd applauded the royal siblings. Tamaki had immediately spotted his group of friends standing by the food table. His immediate instinct was to go to them, but he was pulled away by Aya. She gave him a death glare and practically dragged him to formally greet their guest. One. By. One. His friends laughed at his miserable expression.</p>
<p>The ship began to sail out to sea. Ryuu looked up at the sky once more. The grey clouds and cold wind worried him. He’s spent a good amount of time with his birth father to know how to sense a storm. He wanted to believe that this was nothing and that a storm was happening somewhere else, somewhere far away from all of their kingdoms, but he couldn’t shake the feeling away. He prays that this is nothing. After all, it is Tamaki’s special day.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This story will be updated every other Saturday</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h3>Chapter 2</h3>
<p>As the ship sailed above, and the humans celebrated Prince Tamaki’s birthday, there was a gathering of merfolk under the sea. They gathered in a coral-made palace that was decorated with all sorts of undersea plants. Schools of fishes and marine animals sat beside the merfolk, smiling as the palace guards blew their horns.</p>
<p>A group of five young mermen harmonized while the sounds of percussion instruments played. The musical tattoos that marked their skin glowed softly. They watched their princess swim toward her father. Her crown was made of shells and pearls, and she wore a sash of seaweed and kelp that held badges of clamshells. She looked radiant.</p>
<p>“My dearest, Tsumugi,” King Otoharu smiled at his daughter. Banri, the royal advisor, presented a brand new clamshell badge to the king. The man grabbed the badge and pinned it to the princess’ sash. “It is with great honor to reward you with this Master in academics, magic, and musical arts and announce the end of your education.”</p>
<p>Tsumugi bowed her head and turned the audience. Everyone applauded for the princess’ achievement. She giggled when she noticed the group of six mermen cheering for her the loudest. A pink fish rushed into her arms, causing her laughter to grow. “Myu! Myu!”</p>
<p>“Thank you, Kinako” She snuggled the fish.</p>
<p>“Your mother would be proud” Her father grabbed her attention.</p>
<p>“Thank you, father” She bowed her head.</p>
<p>The underwater kingdom soon burst into a celebration for their princess’ graduation. Most merfolk only finish their schooling with one or two masters, but Tsumugi had gone above and beyond to get three. With her education done, the princess is now able to take her father’s place in some royal activities. This is only a step closer in her preparation to become queen one day in the far future.</p>
<p>“Princess!” Riku and the rest of the musical mermen swam toward the mermaid. “Congratulations on your graduation!”</p>
<p>“Thank you” She smiled.</p>
<p>“We plan on going up the shore to sunbathe with the sea lions” Momo grinned. “Do you wish to come?”</p>
<p>“I don’t know” Tsumugi glanced at her father.</p>
<p>“Just be safe and return before curfew” Her father chuckled.</p>
<p>“Yes, and thank you” She gave him a kiss on the cheek. </p>
<p>The group of six merfolk then swam off with Kinako following them. They laughed as they raced with one another to the shore. They stopped by a coral reef when they got closer to the shore. Sougo gestured for Tsumugi to sit on a stone while the others gathered some sea flowers. They also presented her with a seashell pearled necklace.</p>
<p>“They’re beautiful! Thank you” She giggled as Kinako stuffed her face in the flowers.</p>
<p>“You deserve it for putting up with us,” Mitsuki scratched the back of his head.</p>
<p>“That makes us sound like we cause her a lot of trouble” Sougo laughed.</p>
<p>“Well of course we do!” Momo wrapped an arm around his purple-finned friend. “She almost wouldn’t have finished her schooling if we didn’t stop annoying her with new songs”</p>
<p>“You guys weren’t annoying. I just get distracted when hearing you sing because I love hearing your voices so much” Tsumugi corrected him.</p>
<p>“Well, in that case,” Tenn smirked. The others knew what he was thinking at that exact moment and grinned. Their tattoos glowed as they sang in harmony for the princess.</p>
<p>
  <em>I had a dream last night</em><br/>
<em>And heard the sweetest sound</em><br/>
<em>I saw a great white light</em><br/>
<em>And dancers in the round</em>
</p>
<p>Momo and Mitsuki swam around Tsumugi as they sang.</p>
<p>
  <em>Castles in the sand</em><br/>
<em>Cradles in the trees</em><br/>
<em>Don’t cry, I’ll see you by and by</em>
</p>
<p>Sougo picked a flower and placed it behind Tsumugi’s ear.</p>
<p>
  <em>Oh won’t you come with me</em><br/>
<em>Where the moon is made of gold</em><br/>
<em>And in the morning sun</em><br/>
<em>We’ll be sailing</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Oh won’t you come with me</em><br/>
<em>Where the ocean meets the sky</em><br/>
<em>And as the clouds roll by</em><br/>
<em>We’ll sing the song of the sea</em>
</p>
<p>Riku and Tenn took turns dancing with the princess. They brought her back to the rock for her to sit at. Kinako swam to her lap, and they smiled as the five mermen sang in harmony.</p>
<p>
  <em>Rolling</em><br/>
<em>Rolling</em><br/>
<em>Rolling</em><br/>
<em>Rolling</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Oh won’t you come with me</em><br/>
<em>Where the moon is made of gold</em><br/>
<em>And in the morning sun</em><br/>
<em>We’ll be sailing free</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Oh won’t you come with me</em><br/>
<em>Where the ocean meets the sky</em><br/>
<em>And as the clouds roll by</em><br/>
<em>We’ll  sing the song of the sea</em>
</p>
<p>“Bravo!” Tsumugi clapped her hands. “That was beautiful. Where did you learn that song?”</p>
<p>“I found it in one of my uncle’s treasures,” Sougo explained. “He had found a sheet of music and transferred it to a scroll before it could disappear in the water”</p>
<p>“Humans have such sweet songs” Riku smiled.</p>
<p>“Speaking of which, we should get going if we want to hang out with the sea lions” Momo chimed. They nodded and swam off to the shore.</p>
<p>They took a deep breath of air the moment they came up from the water. They stared at the cloudy yet sunny sky. A flock of seagulls greeted them as they flew by. The group of merfolk waved to them in return.</p>
<p>“Oi! Momo! Mitsuki!” A sea lion called them. A whole colony had just come up to shore. They were all resting while the sun shone brightly on them, providing them warmth.</p>
<p>“Good. We arrived just in time.” Mitsuki nodded his head toward the colony. “Let’s go”</p>
<p>They swam toward the sea lions, greeting them as they plopped themselves near the rocks. Kinako, Tsumugi, and Riku played with the pups, laughing as the small creatures did some tricks. Momo and Mitsuki were racing with some of the older pups. Tenn and Sougo sat on the shore, their tails in the water, and talked to the other sea lions.</p>
<p>“A ship!” Momo noticed in the distance.</p>
<p>“Careful, Momo” A sea lion swam in front of him, trying to camouflage him with the rest of the colony. “There are a lot of humans on that ship today”</p>
<p>“How come?” Mitsuki asked.</p>
<p>“It’s one of the humans' prince's birthday today,” An older sea lion answered.</p>
<p>“Human prince?” Sougo glanced over to the ship.</p>
<p>“Yes,” The sea lion nodded. “I still remember when I was a pup and all of us had gone up to shore to see the humans celebrate the prince’s birth. Then a few years later, his sister was born. The humans celebrated that as well”</p>
<p>“I think it would be best to go back under the water then” Tenn looked at his friends. The boys agreed since it was important for them to keep Tsumugi safe.</p>
<p>They said their goodbyes to the colony of sea lions and swam back into the vast ocean. Not wanting to let their fun end, though, the young merfolk continued to play in the kelp field. They laughed as they played games such as hide-and-seek and tag. A few sea creatures who were swimming by would smile at them as they went. It was an overall relaxing time.</p>
<p>“Hm? Is it already this late?” Sougo noticed how dark the sea had gotten.</p>
<p>“I didn't think we stayed here for that long” Riku turned to the group. “I guess we should head back now”</p>
<p>Just as they were going to swim away, thunder occurred. They wouldn’t think anything of this, since storms come and go all the time, but they were able to hear the humans scream and saw parts of their ship falling into the ocean.</p>
<p>“Kinako!” Mitsuki saved the fish from being crushed by one of the ship’s parts.</p>
<p>“We have to get out of here, princess” Momo grabbed the mermaid’s hand and began to swim away when she pulled on him to stop.</p>
<p>“Wait!” She gestured toward where a human had fallen. Before any of the mermen could talk her out of saving the foreign beings, she had already gone to save the handsome grey-haired man. </p>
<p>“Ah!” Tenn yelped out as a brown-haired human landed on him. </p>
<p>“Gotcha” Riku grabbed hold of a dark blue-haired human.</p>
<p>“Got two over here” Mitsuki struggled to hold both the blonde and the green-haired men that fell nearby him. He smiled when Kinanko helped him.</p>
<p>“C’mon” Momo grabbed a long silver-haired man.</p>
<p>Sougo looked around the chaos, feeling overwhelmed by what was happening. A part of him knew that they shouldn’t be interfering with these humans. He could already hear his father yelling at him for doing so. Yet he also knew that it would be wrong to let them drown.</p>
<p>A splash was heard behind him.</p>
<p>He turned around to see a light blue-haired young man hitting his head on one of the ship’s scraps. Bubbles of air left the human’s lips as his vision became blurry. Sougo didn’t hesitate to save him in that instant. Like his friends, he was so focused on getting these humans back to shore that he didn’t notice the young man’s bracelet falling onto the ocean floor.</p>
<p>He also didn’t notice that the human he had saved had seen him for a brief second before knocking out unconscious.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I plan on putting in some of the songs from the series in future chapters, but for this chapter I decided to go with <em>Song of the Sea</em> because it's one of my favorite lullabies.</p>
<p>Also, happy birthday to our beer-loving onii-san Yamato!!!!! If you excuse me, I'll be looking at and downloading fanart.</p>
<p>Updates every other Saturday</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h3>Chapter 3</h3>
<p>The party was going so well. Tamaki had finally been able to leave his sister’s side and enjoy the company of his friends. They teased him over how professional Aya was making him behave, which only earned them an annoyed eye roll from the birthday boy. After the joking subsided, they stood around and talked about any recent news that came to mind.</p>
<p>Kujou had then presented the band that was playing, which prompted couples to dance. Nagi had wasted no time asking girls to dance. The older young women had flocked over to Gaku, Ryuu, and Yuki to be their dance partners in return. This left Yamato and Iori by themselves since Tamaki was dancing with his sister.</p>
<p>“You’re not going to dance, Iori?” Yamato asked the younger prince, taking a sip of his beer.</p>
<p>“No. I’m fine” Iori glanced off to the side of the ship, looking at the beautiful view of the sea. He noticed a colony of sea lions resting. For a split second, he thought he saw a dash of red in between two of the creatures. He hopes they’re not hurt.</p>
<p>“Well, it’s not like you have to find a fiancé” Yamato sighed.</p>
<p>“Is your father already trying to find you suitors?” Iori turned to him.</p>
<p>“He’s thinking about it” Yamato looked out to sea. “I don’t know why, though. It’s not like our council is thrilled to have a bastard take the throne one day”</p>
<p>“Well, they don’t really have a choice in that matter either. You don’t have any half-siblings that could possibly outrank you, and you’ve been accepted as a royal when your father and his wife also married your mother - making you the legitimate heir. So whatever the council says at this point is pointless” Iori glared in the direction of the council members that Yamato was talking about.</p>
<p>“It’s still such a pain” Yamato sighed again.</p>
<p>“I’m sure if you told your father that you don’t want an arranged marriage, he’d understand” Iori gave him a reassuring smile.</p>
<p>“I’m not worried about that. I’m worried about what my moms would think. They’re already talking about grandchildren” Yamato drank the last sips of his beer. Iori glanced over to where Yamato’s mothers were dancing. His father was laughing and talking to some other nobles.</p>
<p>“Your folks didn’t come, did they?” Yamato asked. “I haven’t seen them around”</p>
<p>“My parents don’t like being out at sea,” Iori explained. “My mother gets seasick on ships, but she likes taking strolls through the shores”</p>
<p>Yamato didn’t say anything after that. He just grabbed another glass of beer from a waiter that passed by. The song ended and some of the pairs that danced returned to the sidelines when a new song started. Nagi continued to dance with other women while Ryuu and Gaku did their best to escape the grasps of the women that wanted them to be their partner. Yuki didn’t have much of a problem leaving the dance floor. He simply said no to the women and walked off, not caring that some women shed some tears at his response. Tamaki returned to where Yamato and Iori were when Aya went off to dance with Kujou. The four princes laughed at Ryuu and Gaku’s predicament.</p>
<p>“Shut up” Gaku glared at them, feeling relieved to no longer be surrounded. Ryuu wasn’t so lucky.</p>
<p>“Oh? It seems like the most desired prince doesn’t enjoy dancing with beautiful women” Yamato smirked.</p>
<p>“So cruel,” Yuki added.</p>
<p>“I don’t want to hear that from you” Gaku shook his head. “Plus, it’s not that I want to be rude to them. It’s just that they don’t seem to interest me. They always want to talk about all of my riches and other trivial things. It gets annoying”</p>
<p>“Agreed” Yamato and Yuki nodded.</p>
<p>“Plus, my dad wants me to find a potential wife already” Gaku sighed. “He’s already thinking about arranging some meetings with some noblewomen”</p>
<p>“Ah. So I’m in the same boat as you” Yamato muttered. “Just great”</p>
<p>“You guys are getting married?” Tamaki asked, eating another serving of his favorite pudding. “Make sure to take me down for desert. There better be pudding”</p>
<p>“No” Gaku and Yamato deadpanned.</p>
<p>“Iorin, they’re denying me pudding” Tamaki whined.</p>
<p>“And what am I supposed to do? You already have a lifetime supply” Iori shook his head.</p>
<p>“I’m guessing Kujou isn’t making you find a future queen, Tamaki?” Yuki asked.</p>
<p>“No. Well, he hasn’t brought it up.” Tamaki finished his pudding and grabbed another. “I guess that’s a good thing, huh”</p>
<p>“Yeah. You’ll get to have more time to figure all that romantic stuff later then” Yamato agreed.</p>
<p>“Gaku” Ryuu walked up to them. He looked tired. “You left me”</p>
<p>“Sorry” Gaku patted his friend’s back.</p>
<p>The conversation then shifted to cheering up Ryuu, which then changed to admiring Nagi’s social skills since the blonde has been changing partners for quite some time now. Tamaki didn’t put much thought into the previous conversation. It was just another subject that he didn’t care much about. Aya will probably bring it up one day, and he’ll deal with it then. For now, he can just have fun with his friends.</p>
<p>The party went on in peace. Aya and Kujou dedicated a speech to Tamaki, which then led to a short thankful speech from him. More dancing. A bit of singing. More conversations with the guests. Some amazing views of some dolphins that swam by. But most of all, more pudding.</p>
<p>Then the chaos happened.</p>
<p>A fire had started on the ship from a candle flame. It had gotten out of control before anyone could stop it. Then a thunderstorm came, which the winds only fanned the flames to get larger. Everyone quickly rushed to the emergency boats. The whole ship was in a complete panic.</p>
<p>“Aya! Aya!” Tamaki searched for his sister. They were all making sure to get all of the women and children off first, but he had noticed that his dear sister was missing.</p>
<p>“Tamaki! I saw her go to the cabins to take a nap earlier!” Ryuu shouted as he helped his mother onto a boat.</p>
<p>“Kotaro! Ryuu! Where’s Kotaro?” His mother looked around for one of her sons.</p>
<p>“I’ll find him, mother. You just get to safety” Ryuu quickly assured before leaving. “Gaku! Have you seen Kotaro?”</p>
<p>“I don’t know but I’ll help you find him” Gaku ushered Ryuu through the crowd.</p>
<p>“Nagi! We’re so scared!” Women cried to him.</p>
<p>“Don’t worry, ladies. Everything will be okay” Nagi assured. He then turned around to where Thorvald stood, his expression turning serious. “And my brother?”</p>
<p>“He’s getting on a boat now” Thorvald informed.</p>
<p>“Good. Hurry and get on one too” Nagi patted the man’s shoulder before leaving, ignoring Thorvalds worried calls. He spotted Iori in the crowd. The younger prince seemed to be looking for something. “Iori!”</p>
<p>Iori turned to him, “Nagi, why aren’t you getting on the boats?”</p>
<p>“I could say the same thing for you. What are you looking for?” Nagi asked.</p>
<p>“One of the daughters of my council members is crying because she lost her stuffed rabbit toy” Iori looked around. “I know I shouldn’t waste time looking for it, but -”</p>
<p>“I understand. I’m making sure that all of us are safe, and I remember seeing a bunch of the kids go down to the cabins, so the rabbit toy could probably be there” Nagi smiled. “I saw Tamaki go down there too to find Aya”</p>
<p>“Let’s go then” Iori nodded. They then rushed off.</p>
<p>“Oi! Yuki! Yamato!” Ryuu and Gaku called out to their friends. “Have you seen Kotaro?”</p>
<p>“He’s missing?” Yuki asked.</p>
<p>“We can’t find him. My mom’s really worried” Ryuu continued to look around.</p>
<p>“I think I saw him running in that direction” Yamato nodded over to where it was the most crowded.</p>
<p>The storm continued to sway the ship side-to-side. Waves crashed onto the ship’s side, puddles of water started to flood the floor. The water helped in cooling the fire down just a bit. As soon as the women and children were off, the older men began to fight one another to get on the remaining rowboats. None really thought about where the eight other royals were.</p>
<p>“Brother!” Aya cried as she tripped on a floorboard. Tamaki quickly picked her up, covering her with his jacket.</p>
<p>“Tamaki!” Iori and Nagi called out to him. The younger quickly noticed that Aya was holding onto the stuffed rabbit he was looking for.</p>
<p>“Guys, what are you still doing here?!” Tamaki held his sister close to his chest.</p>
<p>“Looking for you, now let’s get out of here,” Iori said just as the smoke from the fire grew around them. Nagi took the tablecloth off of a cabinet drawer. He ripped into four pieces and gave them to each of them. </p>
<p>“Hold your breath” Nagi covered his nose and mouth with his piece. The others mimicked the action. Tamaki lifted Aya a bit more, adjusting her in his arms.</p>
<p>“Hold onto me like a monkey, Aya,” He said to her.</p>
<p>“Mhm,” She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. She closed her eyes shut as she felt him start running.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Ryuu, Gaku, Yamato, and Yuki were doing their best to get through the remaining men while searching for Kotaro. Yuki couldn’t help but think of how disgraceful these men are being. If they weren’t so focused on their survival, they would be trembling in fear for shoving the four princes. They would fear for their jobs, and probably even their lives, afterward.</p>
<p>“Kotaro!” Ryuu shouted. </p>
<p>“Brother -!” A young boy shouted back. The four young men quickly turned in the direction of the voice.</p>
<p>“Over there!” Yamato spotted the boy being squished by older men.</p>
<p>“Get out of the way!” Gaku and Yuki yelled and pushed the men aside.</p>
<p>“Brother!” Kotaro cried and jumped into his brother’s arms.</p>
<p>Another lightning strike hit the ship. Tamaki, Aya, Iori, and Nagi came on deck just as the ship tilted to the left. Aya squealed and gripped her hold around Tamaki. Nagi helped his friends remain balanced and led them over to where the rowboats were. The other men were still preoccupied finding their balance, so there was quite a large opening for them to get on.</p>
<p>“Yamato! Ryuu!” Iori called.</p>
<p>“Guys, this way” Ryuu lifted his little brother up and ran toward where Iori was.</p>
<p>“Your highnesses! We thought you were already gone” One of the men in the rowboat stared at them with wide eyes. The boat had enough space for a bit more space. They didn’t say anything in response and just passed Kotaro and Aya to them.</p>
<p>“AH!” Aya saw Tamaki’s grasp on her hand leave. The ship tilted on the opposite side again, sending the princes tumbling in falling. The rowboat she and Kotaro were on fell onto the ocean, and the men had to keep her from falling. “Brother!”</p>
<p>Gaku hit his back on one of the tables that were out before falling off the ship. Ryuu had grabbed onto a rope but lost his grip when Iori was thrown at him, and he fell a second before Iori. Nagi was close to falling when he gripped onto the ship’s rail, and he reached out to grab Iori when Yamato crashed onto him. The two then fell into the ocean together. Yuki had tried to hold onto something, but his grip was so slippery that he ended up joining the rest in the ocean. Tamaki was the last to fall. He tried to hold onto anything he could. He managed to dodge most of the falling objects, but he couldn’t dodge the large box that was about to smash his face. So he let go and fell.</p>
<p>The ocean smashed his body like a rock. He felt his head hit something behind him. It all happened so fast that he didn’t have the chance to hold his breath, and found himself choking on the salted water. He opened his eyes just a bit, the water soon blurring his vision, and that was when he saw it.</p>
<p>Someone was swimming toward him. The person seemed to be a young man from what he could tell. He noticed a strange symbol on the man’s chest before passing out. It looked to be a mezzo forte tattoo. It reminded him of the story his mother once told him. Could you be one of those musical mermen she talked about? If so, did she send you to save me?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I made Yamato's parents be in a polyamorous relationship unconsciously and I'm keeping it that way.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Updates every other Saturday</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h3>Chapter 4</h3>
<p>Sougo looked at the young human man laying before him. The thunderstorm was still going in the background, but the group of merfolk had brought the humans to a cave for safety. It was a cave where they would often hang out during the day. It’s secluded from the humans’ shore while also being in perfect view of it.</p>
<p>“Do you think they’re dead?” Riku looked up from the unconscious boy that rested on his lap.</p>
<p>Tsumugi put her ear to the grey-haired man’s face. She could hear him breathing faintly. She smiled and shook her head. The boys mimicked her actions and listened carefully for the sound of breathing. They visibly relaxed when they did.</p>
<p>“This one is injured, though,” Tsumugi hovered her hand over the man’s torso. A light white glow illuminated the space between her palm and his body. Tenn quickly stopped her when he noticed what she was aiming to do.</p>
<p>“No, princess” He looked at her.</p>
<p>“I just want to heal his wound” She gestured toward the man. “I don’t see the harm in that”</p>
<p>“He could wake up,” He warned. “We can’t be seen by humans”</p>
<p>Tsumugi thought about that for a second before adding, “I’ll make sure to keep him unconscious”</p>
<p>“Still, you can’t -”</p>
<p>“C’mon, brother, the man is hurt. We should help him” Riku chimed in.</p>
<p>“We can’t let humans see us” Momo sided with Tenn. “Plus, we have to protect the princess”</p>
<p>“He’s got a point there” Mitsuki nodded.</p>
<p>As they were talking, Sougo noticed the light blue-haired boy’s head slightly bleeding. Without any hesitation, he waved his hand over the boy’s hand and healed the wound. He grunted in his sleep. The others quickly noticed that the human was waking up.</p>
<p>“Sougo!” His friends gasped.</p>
<p>“What?” The purple-tailed merman jumped at their reaction. He moved so that the human rested his head on Sougo’s lap. The boy slowly fluttered his eyes open. Sougo smiled. “I made sure that his vision will remain distorted”</p>
<p>“Well, if he did it” Tsumugi quickly healed the grey-haired young man before the others could say anything.</p>
<p>“Agh. Might as well make sure that they all aren’t hurt” Tenn gave in. The others then started to heal their respective humans. The young men were starting to open their eyes and cough out the water that they had swallowed.</p>
<p>“W-Where am I?” Sougo looked back down to see the blue-haired boy staring at him. He noticed that the human was trying to sit up.</p>
<p>“Wait. You should rest” Sougo stopped him and laid him back down.</p>
<p>“Who are you? Why can’t I see?”</p>
<p>“Tamaki? Is that you?” The man laying in front of Tsumugi looked around.</p>
<p>“Gaku?” Tamaki asked. “You’re here! Where are the rest?”</p>
<p>“I’m here” The brown-haired one opened his eyes. “But I can’t see”</p>
<p>“Me too” Gaku rubbed his eyes. “What happened?”</p>
<p>“There was a storm and you had fallen off from your ship. My friends and I saved you all before you could drown” Tsumugi responded. Gaku noticed her, but could only make out a blurry figure of a blonde woman with a pink bikini top.</p>
<p>“The incident must have blinded you all for the meantime” Tenn patted the brown-haired man’s back as he coughed out water.</p>
<p>“So loud” The boy in front of Riku grunted.</p>
<p>“Iorin!” Tamaki turned to his stomach and tried to throw his body to the other teen. Sougo quickly stopped him before he’d hurt himself even more. </p>
<p>“Man, I was having a good dream” The one with green hair pinched the bridge of his nose.</p>
<p>“I’m dreaming of <em>Kakona</em>” The blonde smiled, his eyes still closed. He had his hands on his chest like he was taking a nap.</p>
<p>“It’s nice to know that everyone is here” The long-haired one fluttered his eyes open.</p>
<p>“Who are you guys?” Gaku continued to stare at Tsumugi.</p>
<p>“We’re just a bunch of commoners that happened to be night swimming,” Tsumugi smiled at him.</p>
<p>“Wait! Aya!” Tamaki tried to get up again. “My sister! Where is she?”</p>
<p>“And Kotaro” Ryuu looked around.</p>
<p>“Calm down” Tenn stopped him from getting up. </p>
<p>“You guys were the only ones that we found” Sougo looked at Tamaki.</p>
<p>“It’s fine, guys. We put them on a boat, remember?” Yamato yawned. “They’re safe”</p>
<p>“Where exactly are we?” Yuki looked at Momo.</p>
<p>“We brought you guys to a nearby cave” Momo smiled.</p>
<p>“May we know the names of our saviors, at least?” Nagi opened his eyes and looked at Mitsuki.</p>
<p>“I’m Mitsuki, these are my friends Momo, Tenn, Riku, Sougo, and Tsumugi”</p>
<p>“I’m Nagi, this is Yamato, Yuki, Ryuu, Gaku, Iori, and Tamaki” Nagi reached out to grab Mitsuki’s hand and press a kiss to his knuckles. The other merfolk stifled their laughs as their friend blushed.</p>
<p>“Thank you for saving us, but we have to get back now” Iori tried to sit up.</p>
<p>“I suggest that you guys still rest” Riku patted his shoulder.</p>
<p>“Iori is right though” Yuki coughed. “Our families are most likely out there looking for us”</p>
<p>“How about we go find them and bring them here?” Riku said without thinking, earning a slight pinch from Tenn. His twin older brother glared at him.</p>
<p>“We don’t want to trouble you any further” Ryuu cleared his throat.</p>
<p>“It’s no trouble at all” Riku earned another pinch from his brother.</p>
<p>‘<em>What are you doing? We can’t let ourselves be seen, remember?</em>’ Tenn spoke to all of them through telepathic communication.</p>
<p>‘<em>It’ll be fine. It’s still dark so the humans wouldn’t be able to see all that well,</em>’ Riku replied. ‘<em>We can’t just leave them here, partly blind</em>’</p>
<p>‘<em>He’s got a point</em>’ Mitsuki nodded. ‘<em>Plus, the faster we get them back home, the faster the humans would leave the sea</em>’</p>
<p>Tenn took a moment to think. ‘<em>Fine, but only if the princess stays here with two of us to protect her while the others go</em>’</p>
<p>‘<em>Okay. I’ll stay</em>’ Riku smiled.</p>
<p>‘<em>Me too</em>’ Momo chimed.</p>
<p>“Sougo, Mitsuki, and Tenn will go find your families,” Tsumugi informed the princes. She then looked at Momo and Riku, telling them, ‘<em>And when they return, we’ll put the humans to sleep so we can escape</em>’</p>
<p>“They’re probably still out at sea. It could be dangerous” Ryuu looked at where the pink-haired figure was.</p>
<p>“We’re good swimmers. That’s how we were able to save you all” Tenn couldn’t help but smile at him. His confidence in his skills amazed the prince. This person sounds interesting.</p>
<p>“Don’t worry. You’ll be reunited with your family soon” Sougo looked down at Tamaki.</p>
<p>“Thank you” The young prince let out a sigh. He was starting to get tired.</p>
<p>“Be careful” Nagi looked at where Mitsuki was.</p>
<p>“We’ll definitely find a way to repay you” Yamato let out a small cough.</p>
<p>“No need. We just want to make sure you guys get home safe” Mitsuki grinned.</p>
<p>The three mermen then went back into the water. Kinako swam to them, informing them where she last spotted some humans. They quickly swam toward that direction.</p>
<p>----</p>
<p>“Tamaki!” Aya called out.</p>
<p>“Brother Ryuu!” Kotaro shouted in the opposite direction of Aya.</p>
<p>“Your majesties!” The older men continued to shout.</p>
<p>Aya paused to take a deep breath. Her hands shook as her heart continued to beat rapidly with all of the worries she felt. She couldn’t lose her brother. She just couldn’t. He’s the only family that she has. She wiped away her tears before anyone could take notice. Gripping her hands into fists, she continued to call for her brother.</p>
<p>“Tamaki! Where are you?!” She paused when she noticed three distant figures pop out of the water. It was dark so she couldn’t see quite clearly, but she could tell that they were young men. Unfortunately, they weren’t Tamaki or any of his friends. Yet something about them intrigued her.</p>
<p>They waved at her. One was gesturing for them all to follow while the other two went back into the water. Swimming a few feet ahead of the other one, they waved at her again. Aya got a sense of what they were trying to convey. She patted one of the men’s arms.</p>
<p>“Hey, hey!” She grabbed their attention and pointed in the direction of the mysterious figures. “That way! Go that way!”</p>
<p>They immediately started rowing again. She turned back to the men. She could see that the other, the one that was gesturing to follow, was smiling at her. Her eyes widened when she saw a purple fishtail. She gripped the four-leaf clover pin she had. Could they be…</p>
<p>----</p>
<p>“Your skin is burning hot,” Momo noted. Yuki was breathing quite heavily and his face was flushing a light pink. Momo put his hand on his forehead. His tattoo softly glowed as he used his magic to keep him cool.</p>
<p>“I’ll be fine,” Yuki sighed, leaning into the cool touch that was Momo's hand.</p>
<p>Momo frowned at that. It’s clear that he wasn’t feeling well so why pretend that he isn’t. Humans are weird. He stopped using his magic when he felt Yuki’s body temperature lower.</p>
<p>“How are you feeling?” Tsumugi wiped some sweat away from the Gaku’s forehead.</p>
<p>“I’m fine” He looked at the blurred figure. “You’re… Tsumugi, correct?”</p>
<p>“Yes,” She nodded.</p>
<p>“That’s such a pretty name”</p>
<p>“Thank you. My mother named me” She smiled.</p>
<p>“You must be as beautiful as your name” Gaku took a deep breath.</p>
<p>“Hey! You can’t flirt with our princess” Riku glared - but really, it looked like a little puppy was trying to look threatening.</p>
<p>“You’re a princess?” Gaku’s eyebrows raised. Momo lightly slapped Riku’s arm for letting that detail out.</p>
<p>“Uh. Yes,” Tsumugi gave the two other mermen a quick glance. “My kingdom is quite far from here though, and we only came to visit the shores”</p>
<p>“You weren’t at the party?” Ryuu asked.</p>
<p>“I thought Ryou invited practically every royal in the world” Tamaki grunted. “I guess I was wrong since I don’t remember talking to you”</p>
<p>“Then again, you probably don’t remember talking to anyone but us” Iori closed his eyes. “You didn’t look so happy when your sister dragged you around”</p>
<p>Tamaki sniffled a laugh. “You’re right about that”</p>
<p>“Wait. That was your ship?” Riku asked.</p>
<p>“You don’t recognize the prince of the kingdom you all came to visit?” Yuki raised a brow.</p>
<p>“We don’t go out much,” Momo laughed.</p>
<p>“Then I’m guessing you don’t recognize us either” Yamato cleared his throat. It was starting to turn raspy.</p>
<p>“Are you all princes too?” Tsumugi looked at all of the humans.</p>
<p>“Yes. We all came to celebrate Tamaki’s birthday” Iori breathed out.</p>
<p>‘<em>At least my father wouldn’t be so mad when we tell him that we saved royalty</em>’ Tsumugi glanced at her friends. They nodded. This means that the merking would most likely lessen their punishment. He’ll probably ground them and confide them from visiting the shore for at least a month.</p>
<p>“We’re back” Tenn appeared out of the water.</p>
<p>“Where’s Aya! Is she with you?” Tamaki tried to get up again.</p>
<p>“She’s on her way” Sougo placed his hand on his shoulder.</p>
<p>“That was fast,” Yamato commented.</p>
<p>“We’re fast swimmers,” Mitsuki smirked.</p>
<p>“Now, don’t worry about us” Tenn placed his hand on Ryuu’s head. The prince leaned against his touch and closed his eyes. A warm feeling engulfed him. He was starting to get sleepy. “Get some rest”</p>
<p>“When you wake up, you’ll be by your sister’s side once more” Tamaki found Sougo’s voice to be soothing. He had the sudden urge to sleep again, but he couldn’t. He needed to stay up so he could make sure Aya is okay. But the drowsy feeling he had was too strong that it overtook him.</p>
<p>The other merpeople did the same to the other human princes. Their magic soared through them, restoring the humans’ sight and knocking them out so that the mythological creatures could hide.</p>
<p>As they did so, Riku took a moment to look at Iori. The young prince’s hair was still sticking to his face with a bit of sweat. Riku couldn’t help but think that Iori’s sleeping face looked a lot like Mitsuki's. His lips even do a small little pout that the orange-haired merman does when he’s sleepy. How odd. Cute, but odd.</p>
<p>“Myu! Myu!” Kinako came up.</p>
<p>“They’re coming,” Momo warned. </p>
<p>The lantern that was on the tip of the rowboat was just about visible. They all quickly went back into the water. They swam behind a large rock and peaked their heads out. The lantern’s light was bright enough to illuminate a small area, and it wasn’t until one of the men had pulled out another lantern that they were able to see the princes.</p>
<p>“Brother!”</p>
<p>Sougo watched as the girl, who he figures is Aya, jumped out of the rowboat. Another young human child got out as well and ran toward Ryuu. The men quickly rushed to help. Sougo and his friends smiled at each other. </p>
<p>“Looks like our job here is done” Mitsuki whispered.</p>
<p>“Mhm. Now, let’s go home” Tsumugi held Kinako closely.</p>
<p>Sougo took one last glance at the humans. Aya was making sure that the men were being careful with the princes while checking on them. His shoulders relaxed when he heard the princes respond to them in grunts and groans.</p>
<p>“Sougo, let’s go” Riku called.</p>
<p>“Coming” He swam toward his friends.</p>
<p>----</p>
<p>More rowboats were coming in to help take the princes back. Kujou quickly rushed to Aya’s and Tamaki’s side when he noticed them. He helped her brother get up, having Tamaki’s body lean against his. Tamaki groaned and his eyes fluttered open.</p>
<p>“Aya…” He called.</p>
<p>“I’m here, Tamaki” She placed a hand to his back. “You’re safe”</p>
<p>“My sight is back” He closed his eyes. “Remind me to thank… Sougo”</p>
<p>“Sougo? Who’s that?” She helped him onto the boat.</p>
<p>“He and his friends were the ones that saved us” He plopped his head on her lap when she sat next to him. Aya glanced at Kujou. </p>
<p>“I’m sorry, your majesty, but you and the fellow princes are the only ones here,” Kujou told him. Tamaki didn’t hear him, though, because he had fallen back to sleep.</p>
<p>Aya stroked his hair with her hand. She thought about those three figures that popped out of the sea. They were the ones that led them here. Were they also the ones that saved her brother? Is that who he met? She wrapped her arm around Tamaki’s body in the form of a hug. The worry she felt was now gone. If so, she must find them and thank them.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h3>Chapter 5</h3>
<p>Otoharu looked at the six young adults. They all held their heads low, looking guiltier as Banri lectured them for staying out so late. Even Kinako looked down. The King stared at his daughter. Her facial expression reminded him of the time she snuck into the seahorse barn in the middle of the night to play when she was younger. That resulted in the guards thinking the princess was kidnapped and caused a manhunt for her.</p>
<p>“There were humans up there tonight. You could have been caught. What were you guys thinking?” Banri crossed his arms.</p>
<p>“We didn’t mean to stay out so late” Tsumugi finally looked up.</p>
<p>“Well, it’s all fine since none of you look hurt” The dark blue-haired merman sighed. He hates it whenever he has to lecture them. It takes a lot out of him.</p>
<p>“That’s enough for now. We’ll discuss this more in the morning” Otoharu spoke up.</p>
<p>“You’re not going to punish us?” Riku asked.</p>
<p>“No, I am. The six of you are not allowed to go to shore for the remainder of this month” The King smiled. “Instead you will have to clean all of the instruments in the palace music room during your practice sessions”</p>
<p>“That’s a lot of instruments” Mitsuki noted.</p>
<p>“Exactly. Which is why I recommend you all to go home and get some sleep. You have a lot of work to do tomorrow” He smiled. The five mermen groaned while Tsumugi tried to cheer them up. Eventually, they all parted ways.</p>
<p>At least they didn’t question them further. That would’ve made their punishment even worse. If they found out that they actually made contact with humans, they would have done more than ground them. They probably wouldn't be able to practice for the rest of the year. Riku swam next to his brother. He thought back to the humans he saved. He wondered if they were okay.</p>
<p>“They’re fine” Tenn’s voice grabbed him out of his thoughts. He looked over at his twin brother. Tenn glanced at him. “The humans are with their loved ones now, so there’s no need to worry”</p>
<p>“I guess you’re right about that” Riku stopped swimming to stare up. The sun’s early morning rays looked down at them, reflecting on the water’s surface. “I guess I just wish to have gotten to know them better. They didn’t seem like the humans that we often see.”</p>
<p>“Looks could be deceiving, brother,” Tenn reminded him. He paused for a moment, the thought of the brown-haired man’s smile crossing his mind. He wouldn’t tell Riku this, but he too thought that the humans weren’t that bad. They actually seem to be the kind that would befriend wild animals rather than kill them. He even sensed that the one that he saved had a special connection to the sea. His scent definitely smelt more of the salty waters than his companions. He most likely spent his days by the sea.</p>
<p>“Which reminds me,” Riku swam toward Mitsuki. His orange-haired friend glanced at him with a tired smile. He didn’t blame him. He was tired too. It was an exhausting night. “The young man that I saved - the one with the dark hair, he reminded me a lot of you, Mitsuki”</p>
<p>“Really? How so?” Mitsuki raised a brow, intrigued a bit.</p>
<p>“The two of you don’t look similar, but he had certain habits that reminded me of you” Riku explained. “That, and his human scent was a lot like yours. Sweet desserts with a very faint smell of the ocean's sulfur”</p>
<p>“How interesting” Mitsuki continued to swim toward his home. This is the first time he has ever heard of a human with a similar scent of a mer-person. Most humans have their own separate smells. Those who live by the sea smell more of the oceans, but the smell of sulfur is stronger on merfolk since they are one with the Earth's waters. So to have a human with that scent… He made a mental note to ask his grandmother if she ever heard of it before. She’s a wise woman and probably knows more than any of the other merfolk in the kingdom.</p>
<p>“I hope my father isn’t awake” Sougo stared in the direction of his home in silence. A look of worry formed on his face. “He’ll never let me leave if he finds out what happened”</p>
<p>“I’m certain his majesty wouldn’t let that happen” Momo assured. “You’re part of the royal musical troupe. That’s a high position, and your father wouldn’t want to risk losing it, even though he should be caring more about you”</p>
<p>Sougo's gaze downcasted. He wished Momo’s words were a lie but knew that they were true. If his father did eventually find out about the adventure, he wouldn’t be able to keep him away from the palace. His father takes the king’s words seriously and would never dare to disobey. He would, however, find a way to keep Sougo locked away in his room during the time when he isn’t needed at the palace. Sougo's wants and needs do not matter to him. </p>
<p>He only hopes that his father would be asleep so he wouldn’t have to deal with another lecture. </p>
<p>----</p>
<p>Tamaki woke up in the comfort of his own bed. The soft cushions were a complete contrast from the hard floor that he was on only hours ago. He was buried under warm blankets that actually made him feel too hot. His head throbbed a bit from the slight headache he was experiencing, and he made sure to sit up slowly. His eyes glanced at his room like it was the first time he ever stepped foot in it.</p>
<p>The sound of light snoring grabbed his attention and he turned his head to his left. His shoulders relaxed and he smiled when he saw his sister’s sleeping figure next to him. She held onto one of her pillows in a tight embrace. He noticed her little shivers and took off one of his blankets to wrap her around in. She must have been too worried about him to even think about her own comfort.</p>
<p>She stirred in her sleep at the movement. He almost feared that she was going to wake up, but was glad when she didn’t. He stroked her hair and placed a light kiss on her forehead. He’s glad she’s okay. He slowly got out of bed and made his way over to one of the large windows of his room. He stared out to the vast view of the sea before him. A memory of a light-haired man staring down at him came to mind.</p>
<p>That’s right. He was saved by Sougo and his friends. He wonders whether he’ll ever see them again. He would really like to meet them. They did not just save his life, but they also saved his friends' lives. They brought him back to his sister. If he does meet them again, he’ll make sure to reward them in whatever way he can.</p>
<p>“Mm. Brother?” He turned to see Aya sitting up and rubbing her eyes. He walked toward her.</p>
<p>“Don’t worry about me” He smiled, adjusting the blanket around her. “I’m fine. Go back to sleep”</p>
<p>“You shouldn’t stay up either” She yawned as she laid back down. “You need your rest”</p>
<p>“I’ve gotten enough rest now” He chuckled. “Sougo and his friends made sure we all did. I plan on checking up on the others soon”</p>
<p>“That’s the second time you mentioned that name” Aya cuddled her pillow. “But you and the boys were the only ones there when we arrived”</p>
<p>“What?” Tamaki raised a brow. “What do you mean, Aya?”</p>
<p>The young princess’ soft snores told him that it was pointless to try to get any further answers. She had fallen right back into her dreamworld. Tamaki let out a sigh, dropping the matter. He’ll get answers later. Patting his sister’s head, he got back up and quietly made his way out of his room.</p>
<p>Silence covered every inch of the palace. Tamaki personally hated it. He always found it to be haunting. The floorboard would creak with every step he took, echoing down the abandoned hallways. He often feared any of the spirits watching him in the shadows when he was little. He was glad that the palace was lively in the mornings. It made him feel less scared when he thought of his home in the daylight. It made him feel less alone.</p>
<p>Just as he went to turn in the direction of the guest bedrooms, he paused when he saw a faint light coming from the royal library. He was able to hear the sound of faint voices. Gripping his fists, he hoped that the voices didn’t belong to any vicious spirit. </p>
<p>He walked into the library, sighing a sigh of relief when he saw his friends standing by one of the windows. He smiled and greeted them. “Glad to see you guys are okay”</p>
<p>“Tamaki, you’re up” Iori turned to him.</p>
<p>“We’re all feeling much better,” Nagi smiled. “We’re only discussing what happened. Yamato was the first to wake up and was told that Mitsuki and his friends were not in the cave when your sister and Kujou arrived”</p>
<p>“Aya just told me that too,” Tamaki nodded. “I wanted to ask more, but she fell back to sleep”</p>
<p>“According to my brother, Aya was the one to suggest checking the caves. He said that it looked like she had noticed something out in the water, but he wasn’t able to see anything” Ryuu added.</p>
<p>“So our kind rescuers have not been seen by others except for us” Yuki brought his thumb to his mouth in deep thought.</p>
<p>“You don’t think that they’re ghosts, do you?” Tamaki shivered at the thought.</p>
<p>“Don’t be ridiculous,” Iori sighed. “Ghosts aren’t real”</p>
<p>“We may actually never know that” Gaku sided with Tamaki. “I’ve read that ghosts can become tangible and visible in certain situations, so they may as well have been ghosts. It could explain why they suddenly disappeared. We also haven’t been able to find their names in any of the records here, so it’s like they don’t even exist”</p>
<p>“Oh! Ghosts! How exciting!” Nagi grinned.</p>
<p>“They’re not ghosts” Yamato shook his head.</p>
<p>“Now, now” Ryuu tried to get everyone to quiet down. They would be in trouble if someone were to wake up. “How about we continue this in later when everyone else is awake? We could ask around if anyone had ever heard of a Princess Tsumugi. If she’s a princess, there’s definitely someone who has heard of her, no?”</p>
<p>Yuki nodded. “I agree. We’re not going back home just yet, so we’ll also have the time to go back and check the caves for any sign of them”</p>
<p>“Alright,” Gaku patted Ryuu’s and Tamaki’s back. “I guess that’s that. Rest up, guys”</p>
<p>“Right” They all made their way out of the library and back toward their rooms.</p>
<p>Nagi took a moment to stare at Iori. The younger noticed and turned to him. “What is it?”</p>
<p>“I don’t know why, but you sort of remind me of Mitsuki - the one that saved Yamato and me” Nagi squinted his eyes. If Iori’s dark hair was bright orange, and if he was shorter, he’ll probably resemble the mysterious person. Yamato couldn’t help but overhear the conversation.</p>
<p>“Don’t be ridiculous, he doesn’t -” Nagi pulled Yamato to his side before he could finish his thought and took off his glasses. The older prince isn’t exactly blind, but using glasses for so long had put a strain on his eyes. Nagi also took out an orange handkerchief that he had and held it above Iori’s head, making it look like the younger had ginger hair. “Oh wow. Now I can see it. Just a tad bit though”</p>
<p>Iori rolled his eyes and continued on his way. It was a silly conversation. There’s no way those two were able to see Mitsuki clearly to the point where they could compare him to the stranger. They were all partially left blind due to the seawater. He has nothing in common with the man. None whatsoever.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h3>Chapter 6</h3>
<p>Sougo knew that coming home was a bad idea. He should have just stayed over at the palace. Or he could have waited until his father had left for work before returning. He hadn’t even entered the home yet, he was simply standing right outside the coral building. He could hear his father shout to the servants to go retrieve him from the palace. It was clear that he already heard the news.</p>
<p>Gripping his fist, Sougo swam off to the side of the home. He hid whenever he heard servants swim by. They sounded worried for him, but know that they can’t really defy his father’s words. A part of him wanted to just swim inside so that he doesn’t cause any trouble, but he knows that if he did, he would never get the rest that he needs. He’s extremely tired and doesn’t want to deal with his family at the moment.</p>
<p>He swam away toward the gardens, smiling when he saw his uncle’s cove. He made sure no one was around before swimming inside the cavern. He let out a deep sigh the moment he was inside. He glanced around the safe space he has come to love.</p>
<p>His uncle was a brave merman. Before Sougo was born, his uncle, Satoshi, was part of the royal musical troupe. His tattoo was the same one as Sougo’s and that only added to their bond. Satoshi was Sougo’s mentor and best friend. He taught Sougo how to play instruments and they spent most of the days here in this cavern. He was also an amazing adventurer, which excited a little Sougo.</p>
<p>Satoshi loved traveling the seas. He would often go away for long periods of time, only to return with gifts for his nephew. Sougo’s father would often tell him to stop because most of the gifts that he would bring were from the human world. Satoshi didn’t despise humans like most merfolk. He was intrigued by them. That’s why he would risk going up to the shores and swimming to shipwrecks to collect human treasures. This cavern was filled with those treasures, each with their own stories that Sougo loved hearing.</p>
<p>Sougo picked up a little circular box that was decorated in jewels and had a statue of two humans embracing each other with smiles painted on their faces. His uncle told him that he took this off of a human ship after seeing a human make the box produce music by winding up the piece of metal in the back. Sougo was terrified and amazed when he heard about how his uncle managed to take this object from the humans. He remembered asking if he could hear the box’s music only to find out it does not work underwater. It was both disappointing and funny for the two of them.</p>
<p>“If only you were here, uncle. Maybe then father would stop forcing me to become the merman he wants me to be” Sougo laid on the ground. The tiredness he was feeling was finally hitting him. He closed his eyes, dreaming of what the human world is like.</p>
<p>----</p>
<p>The princes didn’t leave the castle until the afternoon. The royal doctors and nurses had given them a thorough check-up from the moment they woke up again. Then from there, they had to handle the damages from the party. It was exhausting but important.</p>
<p>Once that was done and over with, they had gone to the beach. Aya didn’t want them to leave, saying that they needed rest, but the boys had explained to her that they’ve gotten a lot of rest already. She eventually agreed on the terms that they wouldn’t get in the water. She would’ve gone with them if it weren’t for lessons. Tamaki found that to be a relief since he didn’t want her to think that they’ve gone crazy.</p>
<p>“Guys! We found the cave!” Ryuu and Gaku called. The others rushed over to them. Their eyes slightly widened at the sight of a sea lion colony that was laying in front of the cave.</p>
<p>The animals were resting on the warm spot of the beach. Some of the pups were playing in the water while their parents slept under the sun’s rays. One sea lion noticed them before closing its eyes again.</p>
<p>“Looks like we can’t go in,” Yamato sighed.</p>
<p>“Not unless you want to be squashed to death by a sea lion” Gaku added.</p>
<p>“What would we even look for in there?” Yuki asked.</p>
<p>“I don’t know” Ryuu shrugged.</p>
<p>“Ghosts aren’t able to leave anything behind, huh” Tamaki glanced at his friends.</p>
<p>“Don’t be ridiculous” Iori rolled his eyes. Tamaki took that as a yes.</p>
<p>“Ghosts may not be able to, but mermaids may have” Nagi smiled.</p>
<p>“And we’re back to that conversation” Iori rolled his eyes again. “They weren’t mermaids or ghosts. They were probably some figment of our imagination that we all conjured up and we just swam up inside the cave”</p>
<p>“But that wouldn’t explain what Kotaro and Aya saw” Ryuu turned to him.</p>
<p>“So let’s say that the people that saved us were real and they left some sort of clue in the cave,” Gaku glanced at them. “How would we get past the sea lions?”</p>
<p>They all looked at the colony, taking a deep breath. That is definitely something they need a solution to. </p>
<p>Nagi felt something hitting the side of his foot. He looked down to see a sea lion pup slapping its flipper on his shoes. He chuckled and bent down. “Why hello there!”</p>
<p>“Nagi -”</p>
<p>“It’s fine, Yamato” Nagi showed his hand to the pup. “It won’t hurt me”</p>
<p>The sea lion’s mother then ran straight toward the blonde prince and tackled him to the ground. The princes quickly back away, not really sure what to do. It didn’t seem like the mother was harming him. She was just barking at him while he laughed. Even when she turned around completely so that her tail laid on his face and the pup climbed onto him, he continued to laugh.</p>
<p>“Uhh, Nagi” Yamato stifled his laugh. “Are you okay?”</p>
<p>“Perfectly fine” Nagi’s voice was a bit muffled.</p>
<p>“That looks fun,” Tamaki smiled.</p>
<p>“Don’t you dare” Iori placed a hand on Tamaki’s chest, stopping him from heading straight to the colony. That was a smart move because all of the sea lions seemed to have noticed the situation and started heading toward Nagi.</p>
<p>“I guess he’s taking one for the team” Yuki turned to walk straight into the cave.</p>
<p>“Thanks, Nagi” The others, minus Ryuu, followed.</p>
<p>“Wait, we’re seriously just leaving him -”</p>
<p>“Come on,” Gaku pushed his best friend toward the cave.</p>
<p>“Okay” Ryuu looked back at the laughing blonde. “Sorry, Nagi”</p>
<p>----</p>
<p>Mitsuki woke up from his nap to his grandmother’s humming. The smell of her delicious kelp sponge-bread filled the small home. He’s lived here with her ever since he could remember. He never knew his parents, and there are no paintings of them around the home. His grandmother barely talked about them too. All she has ever told him were about how his mother loved to bake with her.</p>
<p>“It’s about time you woke up” The elder mermaid smiled at him. “Have some food before you head off to clean all those instruments”</p>
<p>“Ah. So you’ve been informed” Mitsuki sighed, taking a slice of the food.</p>
<p>“You bet your fishtail I have been” She crossed her arms. “Sir Banri made sure to tell us all about your little adventure during the storm last night. What were you all thinking? You could have been seen by those humans. Or worse! Captured”</p>
<p>“Yeah, yeah. I already heard all of that from Banri” Mitsuki gulped down his food. She gave him a small glare. He swam toward her. “We’re all fine, grandma. Nothing bad happened to us. We just lost track of time. That’s it”</p>
<p>She let out a sigh. “You said you wanted to ask me something before you knocked out. What is it?”</p>
<p>“Oh. That” He looked back down at his food. “I just wanted to know if… if it’s possible for humans to have a scent that resembled ours”</p>
<p>“Well I sure never heard of that before” She turned around to clean up a bit. “The only thing I heard that was close to that was this western tale from long ago.”</p>
<p>“Western tale?” He continued eating.</p>
<p>“Yes,” She swam back to him and sat across from him with her own plate. “The youngest daughter of one of the many late Kings that were before the one that rules those waters now had fallen in love with a human man. I don’t remember the exact details of how she and the man met, but I remember that she was so devastated of not being able to be with him that she had gone to a sea witch for help. The witch had given the princess human legs for the cost of her voice.”</p>
<p>“And did the princess and the man live happily-ever-after?” He cut in, smiling. This is the first time he had ever heard such a tale. A mermaid falling in love with a human. It sounds like one of the most romantic stories ever. His smile fell when he saw the sad look in his grandmother’s eyes.</p>
<p>“Not quite” She took a sip of her drink. “The story actually differs from there. Some say that the King had been the one to bless his daughter with her legs instead of the sea witch, meaning that she kept her voice. Then the couple lived a long life together, and they also say that they had a daughter who was blessed with gifts of the sea and land. So, I guess her scent would be similar to ours”</p>
<p>“But?”</p>
<p>“But I think that those people say that in order to cover the other version - which sounds more realistic” Her lips formed a small smile. “That version says that the princess was reunited with the man but was unable to profess her love to him, and he ended up falling in with another woman. The human couple got married and the princess was so heartbroken that she took a dagger and stabbed her heart. Then, just like any other merfolk, her body dissolved into the seafoam beneath her feet”</p>
<p>“That’s so tragic,” Mitsuki leaned back in his seat.</p>
<p>“It really is” His grandmother sniffed. She had apparently gotten teary-eyed while telling the tale.</p>
<p>“Is something wrong, grandmother?” Mitsuki placed his hand on her’s. The old mermaid only ever cries twice a year. On his birthday and on (what he presumes) his mother’s birthday. “Is it about my mother?”</p>
<p>She let out a little laugh and wiped her tears. “Don’t be silly. That story, uh, always touches me”</p>
<p>She got up and swam back toward the fridge. Her back faced him, but he could tell that she was still crying. He knew better to press her for more. He cleared his throat and got up.</p>
<p>“I, uh, I’ll see you later then”</p>
<p>“Make sure you clean those instruments perfectly”</p>
<p>Mitsuki glanced back at the elder one last time before he left. She would tell him the truth eventually. Just not now.</p>
<p>----</p>
<p>The cave looked bright and less scary in the daylight. Nagi’s laughter became distant the more they walked inside. Yamato could remember waking up and talking to the mysterious figures. The situation itself was odd. They all woke up with their visions distorted. Gaku and Tamaki said that they remembered feeling extremely hot, probably having a fever, but it magically disappeared in an instant. Yamato doesn’t exactly believe in ghosts or mermaids, and he doesn’t know if those people existed or not, but he does know that they all experienced something here.</p>
<p>“This is silly,” Iori looked around the cave’s floor. The sea flowed into a stream inside and the cave’s interior glowed lightly in its reflection. “There’s nothing in here but rocks, barnacles, and the occasional seashell”</p>
<p>“You’re not wrong about that” Ryuu picked up an abandoned clamshell.</p>
<p>“This cave rounds around” Gaku came back from exploring with Tamaki.</p>
<p>“The water is shallow in here” Tamaki glanced down at his exposed legs. He had pulled his pants up to his knees, which didn’t do anything since he was dripping wet from his hips down. There goes keeping his promise with his sister.</p>
<p>“So a group of people somehow rescued us from the middle of the ocean in the middle of the night, brought us into this cave where we all remember sort of seeing them and talked to them, and then they just disappeared into thin air” Yamato leaned against the wall. “That ghost theory is sounding a lot more reasonable now”</p>
<p>“No, there has to be something,” Iori shook his head. “That girl - the one that claimed to be a princess. We could check the records again, but this time at our homes. Tamaki’s may not have mentioned anything, but we could find something in our own castles”</p>
<p>“That’s a possibility,” Yuki nodded.</p>
<p>“I wouldn’t place my bets on it” They all turned around to see a boy sitting on a rock that was in the middle of the water. He was shirtless and his pants were rolled up to his knees. His marble white hair was damped and stuck to his face while dripping water down his fair skin. His light brown eyes looked at every one of them as his lips lifted into a small polite smile. He bowed his head. “I apologize for sneaking up on you, your majesties.”</p>
<p>“Who are you?” Gaku asked.</p>
<p>“My name is Minami” The young man introduced himself. “I was just swimming a bit and couldn’t help hearing your conversation. I, again, apologize for being rude”</p>
<p>“You said that you won’t place your bets on it - on us finding information about a Princess Tsumugi. What do you mean by that?” Yuki asked.</p>
<p>Minami repositioned himself so he could be sitting while facing toward them. “I travel a lot, you see, and I tend to hear a lot of stories”</p>
<p>“And is a Princess Tsumugi one of them?” Ryuu asked. His father and his friends often tell him stories about their travels. They range from folklore to stories about meeting royals who visit the docs. Not once have they mentioned a princess with such a name.</p>
<p>“No” Minami’s smile fell a bit. He took a deep breath. “But I have heard of people getting saved from drowning and their savior disappearing. It’s just an old ghost tale. I believe that the sea just washed you up and you all imagined things from all of the seawater you took in. I wouldn’t worry about this matter anymore”</p>
<p>“But my sister. She saw something” If that was all true, how would Aya have known to look for them in the cave? Tamaki doesn’t want to believe that this was just some made-up experience. It felt real. Those people felt real.</p>
<p>“I’m guessing the princess just has good intuition,” Minami smiled again. Something about this boy’s smile didn’t suit well with Yamato. It felt fake. Like he was hiding something.</p>
<p>“Guys!” Nagi ran into the cave, a bright smile still remaining on his face. They all turned to him. He looked like he had the time of his life with the animals. “The sea lions left back into the water. So, did you find anything?”</p>
<p>“No, but we were just talking about Minami and he -” Iori looked back to where the boy sat. “He’s gone”</p>
<p>They all looked to see the rock vacant. The young man that was sitting there had vanished. Yamato glanced toward the water to see some ripples. That must mean he had swum away.</p>
<p>“Minami?” Nagi tilted his head. “Is he a young man with kind-looking eyes, small smile, and almost-white-looking hair?”</p>
<p>“Yeah. That’s him. How’d you know?” Ryuu looked around to see if there was a trace of him other than the ripples.</p>
<p>“I know him. He studied piano with me in Northmeir, but he disappeared after Haruki got extremely ill” Nagi’s shoulders slouched at the memory. “I haven’t seen him in a long time. What’s he doing here?”</p>
<p>“I don’t know,” Tamaki shrugged. “He said that he’s been traveling”</p>
<p>Yamato looked back at the rock. An old friend of Nagi, who happens to know some things about their experience, randomly disappears before saying hello. How odd. One would have expected them to have a touching reunion. I guess not every reunion has to be that way. But still, it only made this scenario even odder than it was before.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Since the Little Mermaid takes place in Denmark, and Northmeir is supposed to be someplace in Scadaniva, I'm going to imagine that Nagi's mom told him the story when he was a kid.</p>
<p>Updates every other Saturday</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h3>Chapter 7</h3>
<p>Minami had watched the group of princes leave the cave with disappointed sighs. He doesn’t know what they expected to find here. Most merfolk never dare to show themselves to humans. Those who do probably have a death wish. Princess Tsumugi and her friends might not be suicidal, but they are crazy enough to reveal themselves.</p>
<p>“You should have led them into the water” A boy with a pigeye shark mertail appeared beside him, a mischievous smirk laying on his lips. “That way we could have drowned them and brought them to Ryou”</p>
<p>“Don’t be ridiculous, Haru” Minami shook his head. The two then swam back down into the water. “Those are princes. If one of them went missing, it would cause havoc in the human world - and you know just as much as I do how much chaos that would be”</p>
<p>“All the more reason to drown them”</p>
<p>“I’m not saying I disagree,” Minami smirked, sparks of lightning erupting from his electric eel tail. “I just think that we should be more careful when we do”</p>
<p>Haruka grinned and followed Minami further into the depths of the sea. Ryou would love to hear about the princes. The sea warlock may get some new polyps for his garden.</p>
<p>----</p>
<p>Riku and Tenn were the second to arrive at the palace for cleaning duty. Mitsuki was already there, whistling a song while he cleaned a shark-eye horn. Kinako swam in a circle, relaxing to the merman’s melody. The pufferfish stopped when she saw the new arrivals. Mitsuki noticed as well and smiled at his friends. He put the instrument down and threw kelp rags at them. “Glad for you to join. Did you guys get enough rest?”</p>
<p>“Hardly,” Riku sighed. “Our parents lectured us for what felt like hours, and then when we got to our room, Tenn wouldn’t stop looking at me”</p>
<p>“I was making sure you were okay” Tenn rolled his eyes.</p>
<p>“It was creepy. I'm not a kid anymore” Riku interjected.</p>
<p>Mitsuki laughed at the brothers’ antics. The two may be twins, but Tenn always acts like he’s a year or two older. It’s amazing how they argue and still be able to understand that the other is only looking out for them. They weren’t the only sibling pair in the group, though. Momo’s older sister Ruri would sometimes stop by the palace to see Banri (she has an unrequited crush on the royal advisor). Momo and Ruri were different from the Nanase twins. They rarely argued, and mainly teased one another as siblings do.</p>
<p>Mitsuki found it interesting to see how different and alike siblings, in general, can be. They have a special bond that not many get to share. It’s one of the things that Mitsuki gets jealous of at times. He always wondered what it would be like to have a sibling of his own. If his parents were still around, maybe he could have had a little brother or sister to look after. He knows that he would be the best big brother there can be.</p>
<p>“Is anyone else still sleepy?” Momo yawned while swimming inside.</p>
<p>“Yes,” They all replied.</p>
<p>“Looks like almost everyone is here already,” Tsumugi greeted. Kinako swam around her before going out, already knowing what the princess would have asked of her.</p>
<p>“Is everything okay, princess?” Riku asked. She looked worried.</p>
<p>“My father was the one to wake me up, and we were having a nice chat” She took a deep breath and looked at Momo. “Then Banri came in with urgent news. I overheard him say that the sea warlock has been spotted in the borders”</p>
<p>“The sea warlock? He’s back?” Momo gulped. The tiredness he felt earlier vanished in an instant.</p>
<p>“It seems so”</p>
<p>Momo’s hands trembled a bit. The merman once had a close encounter with the infamous merman. The sea warlock was once a prince from a neighboring kingdom. He once came to their kingdom to celebrate Tsumugi’s birth. Momo was seven at the time, Mitsuki was only three, and Sougo was just two years old. Though young, they had attended the feast with their families as well due to their markings having already been acknowledged by the King.</p>
<p>Momo remembered standing in the crowd, eating his snacks and smiling at the ball. His parents were dancing while his sister had gone to get her own plate of food. That was when a strange man approached him. He had a large grin on his lips and his eyes held this sinister glint to them. His presence sent chills down the young child’s spine, but his mother had told him that since he is now part of the royal court, he should make friends with everyone. So they made small talk. And Momo never felt happier to see someone leave. It wasn’t until he returned home that he fell extremely ill. That same night, the prince was banished and became known as the sea warlock.</p>
<p>“They’ll catch him this time,” Mitsuki assured his friend.</p>
<p>“Hopefully” Momo sighed and swam off to clean. He needed a distraction. Maybe thinking about the long silver-haired prince while cleaning would make the time fly by.</p>
<p>----</p>
<p>Sougo awoke to Kinako rubbing her prickly face against his. He groaned, not wanting his dream to end, and sat up. The pink puffer fish laid on his lap. He stretched his back and patted her head. “I’m guessing the others sent you to get me”</p>
<p>
  <em>Myu! Myu!</em>
</p>
<p>Kinako swam up to the roof of the cavern, squeezing her body through the small opening. Sougo smiled and quickly followed suit. He paused just before he exited the safety of his grotto. He opened the entryway a tad bit to hear if any servants were out. He was startled to see Kinako staring back at him when he did. She must have swum around to be his lookout.</p>
<p>
  <em>Myu! Myu!</em>
</p>
<p>“Thanks. Let’s get going” He closed the cave and they left for the palace without his father or servants spotting them. The man has most likely given up on lecturing him by now. He'll just go back to ignoring Sougo - something that the young merman has gotten used to.</p>
<p>----</p>
<p>They all returned to Tamaki’s palace by dinner time. The princes barely had any time to change since they were immediately summoned to the parlor. They were a bit shocked to see all of their families waiting for them.</p>
<p>“Iori!” His mother ran to him, not caring how unqueen-like it may be. Her arms wrapped around in a tight embrace. He had to pat her back in order for her to understand that she was squeezing him too strongly. She apologized and let go of him. His father stood beside her. She caressed his face. “Thank the gods you’re okay”</p>
<p>“I’m fine, mother” Iori sighed. He could already sense his friends teasing gazes. They’re going to annoy him later.</p>
<p>His mother nodded her head and let go of him. His father placed an arm around her in comfort. “We know son, we were just worried. That’s all”</p>
<p>“Where did you boys go?” Yaotome glanced at Gaku. “Nagi has sand all over his back”</p>
<p>“We went to the beach,” Gaku replied, already knowing what his father would say.</p>
<p>“Why would you do that?” Yup. There it is.</p>
<p>“Did you go there to frolic?” Seto raised a brow at his younger brother’s appearance.</p>
<p>“My apologies, brother” Nagi bowed. “There was a colony of friendly sea lions onshore and I couldn’t help but play with them. If you excuse me, I’ll go change.”</p>
<p>Seto waved his hand, giving his brother the permission to go. Nagi glanced back at his friends before walking off. They thought of him as lucky since he got to escape all of the questions that their families are going to throw at them.</p>
<p>“So, did you find anything about this ‘So-chan’ you supposedly saw?” Aya asked Tamaki.</p>
<p>“No” Tamaki sighed. He pulled out a pink seashell from his pocket and handed it to. “But I found this on my way back”</p>
<p>“It’s pretty. I’ll add it to my collection” She smiled.</p>
<p>“Who is So-chan?” Queen Izumi turned to the princess.</p>
<p>“It’s no one, mother” Iori spoke before Aya had the chance to respond. He knew that the princess would tell her about what they experienced, and he didn’t want to worry his mother even more. He doesn’t want her to believe that he and his friends have gone insane.</p>
<p>“He’s this ghost we saw in the cave,” Tamaki replied. Iori should have expected that. “But we also think it could have been a mermaid - er - merman”</p>
<p>“Oh,” The queen’s eyebrows lifted in short disbelief. Great. Now she thinks they’re crazy.</p>
<p>Iori expected her to say something to dismiss the claim, but she didn’t say anything at all. She just looked out one of the large windows with a distant gaze. </p>
<p>“You’ve been telling them your childhood bedtime stories, haven’t you?” Queen Tsunashi lightly slapped her son’s shoulder.</p>
<p>“We’re not saying that they exist,” Ryuu defended. “Plus, there’s nothing wrong with an old sailor’s tale”</p>
<p>His mother huffed out a laugh. She shook her head. Her son has been spending too much time with her ex-husband.</p>
<p>“That’s true” King Chiba nodded his head. “Whenever I visit the ports, I always sit down with some of the captains and listen to them talk about some siren they saw from afar. Yuki and Okazaki, here, had even gone with me a couple of times.”</p>
<p>“How come this is the first time I hear of this? Where was my invitation?” Yamato raised a brow.</p>
<p>“We did invite you,” Yuki turned to him. “But you always said that you were too busy doing more important things and would much rather sit through a six-hour opera than listen to an old man talk about fairy tales”</p>
<p>Yamato took a second to think. “Yeah. That does sound like me”</p>
<p>They all laughed.</p>
<p>“We should all pay a visit together then” Chiba patted his son’s back. “Okazaki must need a break from all of the coronation planning”</p>
<p>“I most certainly do” The royal advisor sighed.</p>
<p>“Take as long as a break you need to, Okarin” Yuki looked at the man. “I’m willing to wait a couple more years”</p>
<p>“I already promised you those years on your 21st birthday, your highness”</p>
<p>“Then promise it to me again” The warning glare Yuki got from his advisor was taken note of in an instant. “Nevermind. Sorry”</p>
<p>They all laughed again.</p>
<p>“Don’t you have some stories of your own, King Izumi? After all, you once served in your kingdom’s navy” Yamato’s mother asked, wrapping one around her wife.</p>
<p>“You should tell us some over dinner. I’m sure we’re all in the mood for some folk tales now” His other mother added.</p>
<p>Iori looked back at his father, who had stolen a glance at his mother before replying. “Of course.”</p>
<p>“Then shall we move to the dining hall?” Kujo offered.</p>
<p>“Let's” Aya got up from her seat. Everyone soon followed the two out of the room. Nagi had rejoined the group just as they left.</p>
<p>“What’d I miss?” He caught up with Iori.</p>
<p>“We’re going to be hearing folk tales throughout dinner,” Iori explained.</p>
<p>“That sounds fun,” Nagi smiled.</p>
<p>Iori didn’t know whether or not that would be the case. His father rarely ever talks about his navy days, so this would be the first for him. He should be excited. He’s always wanted to know more than just the basic surface-level stories that his father has told him. Yet he can’t help but feel like his parents have been keeping something from him. Whether that something is good or bad is yet to be decided.</p>
<p>----</p>
<p>“Members of a royal sea court saved human royals. How interesting...”</p>
<p>“Pretty stupid if you ask me” Torao muttered under his breath. Minami stung him with his electric tail. Haruka only glared at him to shut up.</p>
<p>“What do you want us to do?” Touma watched the warlock tend to his garden.</p>
<p>“Nothing just yet” Ryou looked at his minions. “Let us wait for the right moment. I have the feeling things are just getting started”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry for not updating. An uncle of mine passed and then I was just buried under school projects. But updates resume back to normal now.</p>
<p>Updates every other Saturday.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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